Darkest Night Letter 2019
Aug. 4th, 2019 12:00 pmSome clarifications:
I expand on some of the tags I chose for each fandom, but please note that any things I ramble about related to those tags are suggestions, and if you like some things I suggest and don't like others, go ahead and pick and choose. If your muse is going somewhere that doesn't fit anything I said, then be free! My likes are also there to guide you, potentially.
In the end, the tags are the prompt, as are the characters or groups I chose. If a certain tag seems like it would “work” better for a certain character or group of characters than another, but you want to write it for another character or group, go for it! If I wouldn’t be happy with that particular interpretation, I wouldn’t have requested those characters and groupings in the same request. If there’s a group tag, you can choose any character to get the brunt of the darkness, even if I don’t mention them, or spread it out. Also, if I expand on a tag and don’t mention a character you want to write about, go for it anyway.
There are tags I don't expand on in each fandom, but that's just because I don't have anything specific to say about them. I'll be thrilled with you writing about any of the characters, groups, or freeforms I chose.
When it comes to context...dream up any premise you want. Why did this character have a mental breakdown? Torture? Delirium? Guilt? Accumulated stress from years of abuse? One of the other freeform tags? Something I haven’t thought of? You choose! Make it as twisted as you want, I dare you!
Some fandom sections are also longer than others. This is not a sign that I want one fandom more or less.
If you want to use more than one tag at a time (including character/group tags), feel free!
If you want to write an Eldritch fic with all of the tags I chose for a fandom, go for it. If you matched on a single tag and want to write a fic based around it, go for that too. And anything in between.
Writer, please dig deep into your id and write something you love, and I'm sure I'll love it too.
Likes:
Hurt/comfort--I'm a big fan of the comfort, but the hurt can be as dark as you want (non-con, abuse, torture, etc.) and given that this is a darkfic exchange, doesn’t have to work or happen at all. | Hopeful/bittersweet endings, though unhappy endings are fine. Endings that aren’t technically happy but end up okay for the characters themselves are great too. Ambiguous endings also. Basically any endings. | Literally sleeping together | Mental health issues | Sanity slippage/full mental breakdown | Memory loss/memory issues, up to and including dementia | Loyalty, protectiveness, loved ones supporting each other through anything and even if they don't know how or screw up a bunch | Grief/mourning | Characters never fully recovering from trauma, but adjusting to a new normal with support from their loved ones. Given that this is a darkfic exchange, no recovery from the trauma at all is great too, as is completely botched comfort. | Delusions and hallucinations, especially delusions. Characters being unsure of or confused about what is real. | Dealing with past trauma, canon or not | Characters having complicated feelings about each other | Caretaking and caretaker fatigue. | Twisted and fluffy feelings | I’d prefer no total woobification, but breaking characters is A+ and I am actually quite into psychological regression if it's periodic/doesn't go into full 100% infantilization
DNWs:
Smut/PWP/sexual or non-sexual kink/fic that’s E-rated due to sexual content | Broken bones. (Ribs are fine.) | Amputated limbs. | Gore is fine, but if you’re at Last House on the Left or Texas Chainsaw Massacre or Cannibal Holocaust levels, pull back, please. | Character bashing. (Nothing that could be classified as “X character unfriendly”.) | Unrequested shipfic. (It’s fine to mention canon romantic relationships/romantic entanglements.) | Ship bashing or kink bashing. | Genderswap/always-another-gender/suddenly-another-gender | Gender headcanons, including pronoun changes. | Characters schooling anyone, especially each other, on social justice issues. | Strong focus on character’s sexuality | Autistic headcanons | Furries | Bestiality | Pregnancy/oviposition/things growing inside of people | Requested characters betraying each other | Public humiliation
Umbrella Academy
G: The Hargreeves Siblings (UATV)
G: Luther Hargreeves & Vanya Hargreeves (UATV)
Luther Hargreeves (UATV)
Ben Hargreeves (UATV)
In this fandom, I guess I’d prefer post-canon or canon divergence.
I do like the idea of weirdly domestic Hargreeves fic where they have space to breathe and try not to process their trauma and fuck up constantly and either share a mansion or apartments or hotel rooms. So, like, an AU where the apocalypse actually didn’t happen, or just post-canon with a mission that allows for some more breathing room (but also space for missions where characters can get hurt). So basically, diverge from canon or go with canon, I just have one DNW for this fandom: I do not want fic where the adult-bodied Hargreeves were also de-aged.
I would also prefer that whump not be focused on Klaus, but if that’s your jam, go for it.
I love how messed up the Hargreeves siblings are and how much they screw up with each other and resent each other but still do care about each other. I’d be really interested in unhealthy overprotectiveness. Deeply unhealthy, codependent relationships also. If Ben is alive again, I think it would be really interesting to have his resurrection be traumatic for him and/or his siblings (or some of his siblings, or one of his siblings) be overprotective to his detriment.
For Luther and Vanya, I’m just really into their relationship. It’s been so screwed up by the end of the show, and I just want to see how it could heal or fall apart even more. Maybe they’re both wary of each other. Maybe they kind of hate each other. Maybe they’re just sad. A pre-canon AU where they team up with each other for some reason and run away together would be cool too. I’d like to see either of them suffering or getting captured and tortured, and it would be really interesting with both of them.
Note: I am cool with Allison/Luther.
Aftermath of Torture
Caretaker Fatigue
Characters bond in traumatic circumstances - Maybe they’re captured and tortured. Maybe they’re the only two survivors out of all their family.
Descent into Madness, Mental Breakdown, Sanity slippage/ deterioration of mental health - Anything with these would be amazing, either due to outside circumstances or because the character is just not well. Ben breaking down after being resurrected in some way would be really interesting.
Character A pretends they don’t notice Character B’s descent into madness - Character A could be more than one sibling, that would be fine. Maybe it’s everyone with Ben, or just one of the siblings, like Klaus, who knows Ben better than anyone and knows that something is very wrong but also his brother is alive again and he doesn’t want to accept it.
Character is incapable of caring for themselves - Either definitely true or what the other characters perceive.
Only two left alive - Well, this would definitely be interesting with Luther and Vanya, and would be super interesting mixed with any of the other tags. (Of course, you can do this with any of the other siblings too.)
Trapped together
Terminal Illness - Maybe Luther’s body starts slowly rejecting the serum. Maybe Ben’s resurrection is just temporary. Maybe one of the characters just gets really, really sick.
Recovery is painful and slow
Suicide Attempt Fails, Suicide Watch - I’d love to see this with any of the Hargreeves siblings, and the other siblings being rather helpless and not being able to actually aid in recovery and maybe just drugging the suicidal character or restraining them or rumoring them. Maybe Luther, who’s horrified by his body and deeply guilty and feeling directionless, attempts suicide and Vanya finds him and watches him? Sedates him? Maybe Ben really cannot handle being alive again and tries to kill himself? Or any of the other siblings. I’d just really love seeing the Hargreeves completely fucking up here, unhappy ending welcome.
Unrelenting hurt/eventual comfort
The Good Place
G: Janet & Michael (The Good Place)
G: Tahani Al-Jamil & Chidi Anagonye & Jason Mendoza & Eleanor Shellstrop (The Good Place)
G: Tahani Al-Jamil & Jason Mendoza (The Good Place)
G: Team Cockroach (The Good Place)
I know settings have changed significantly, and you can do whatever you want when it comes to that. Set fic in season one, two, three, AU season four, whatever. Canon divergence AU at any point is fine. Everyone’s human and alive/mundane AU, also fine. And also my pet AU where people actually do end up in the Real Good Place and that’s where they go. Pre-canon also.
I believe that season four will be coming out as this exchange goes on. I will be following it, so don’t worry about spoilers or adding elements or even characters from season four.
Rape to Break Character’s Will/Spirit - Sounds like something the Bad Place would do…
Rape Aftermath, Rape Recovery
Aftermath of Torture, Torture Recovery - Did someone end up in the Real Bad Place? Is it a canon divergence where Michael’s torture by Shawn is more messed up?
Recovery is painful and slow
Sanity Slippage/deterioration of mental health - Is it because of torture? Is it sheer stress?
Terminal Illnesses - Super, super sad human AU?
MCU
Group: Scott Lang/Sam Wilson (MCU)
Sam/Scott will always be my OTP. Always and forever. Even if they haven’t interacted that much in canon. There’s always canon divergence or canon AU or filling in the blanks on the time they did spend together.
I adore all the other characters that surround Scott and Sam. Including the rest of Team Cap or various other Avengers or the other Ant-Man characters is welcome.
I like Sam as a not-necessarily-as-put-together-as-he-seems kind of guy with his own issues, and would never say no to Sam whump. (That said, I would never say no to Scott whump either. Or whump for both of them.)
I’d be happy with an established relationship or get-together where whatever terrible thing that happens brings Sam and Scott together.
Only Two Left Alive - Is this a post-apocalyptic AU? Are they the only two human beings left alive on the planet? Are they the sole survivors of something that wiped out most superheroes?
Characters bond in traumatic circumstances - Captured and tortured together? Completely isolated together?
Torture Recovery - Maybe there’s codependence?
Character Is Hiding Aftereffects of Trauma - Sam was Snapped. Scott was stuck in the Quantum Realm. Maybe they’re both mentally not well at all but don’t want anyone to know.
Mental Breakdown, Sanity slippage/deterioration of mental health, Character A pretends they don’t notice Character B’s descent into madness - Post-Endgame, Sam and Scott are happy together, so either try to ignore their partner’s slow deterioration (maybe because of trauma, maybe a mental illness is manifesting, maybe the quantum realm really messed Scott up) and cover it up when other people are around—like if it’s Sam, Scott has to actively try to deal with the press and Sam’s superhero friends. If it’s Scott, Sam has to lie to Scott’s daughter and his ex-wife and her husband. Or they’re captured together and one doesn’t want to believe that the other is breaking down.
MCU
Sam Wilson
For Sam, I love his relationships with anyone, so if you want to include, idk, Bucky or Steve or other members of Team Cap, that’s great! I would like Sam as the whumped party, though, and other characters trying to help. Sam completely on his own would be great too. Also, I’m fascinated with his relationship with Riley, so including that would be awesome.
I liked Endgame, and anything post-Endgame where he’s dealing with being Snapped and/or his new responsibilities as Cap and/or missions gone extra wrong would be great. Old Steve is welcome.
Solitary Confinement
Psychological Torture, Torture Recovery - Could be of any stripe, could be in addition to the solitary confinement, could be solitary confinement in itself. Post-Endgame, Sam is captured and tortured while acting as Cap?
Character Survived Their Adventures/Ordeal But Will Never Be The Same Again
Descent into Madness, Sanity Slippage, Mental Breakdown - This could go super well with solitary confinement or torture. A completely isolated Sam slowly losing his mind…
On the other hand, it could very well be Sam falling into mental illness and his mental health slowly deteriorating due to being Snapped or stress.
Mentally Unstable Character is Aware of Their Instability - I really like the idea of Sam knowing that he’s slipping but not being able to do anything about it because of his pride or total lack of access to any help (like if he’s been isolated). Also a post-torture Sam back in the “real world”, getting help from his friends but knowing he’s different now and that his reactions to things aren’t normal and that he’s hallucinating and so on…
Hallucinations of a loved one - I’d love to see this with Riley in any situation.
DC’s Arrowverse
John Constantine (DC's Arrowverse)
G: John Constantine & Charlie (Arrowverse)
G: John Constantine & Zari Tomaz (Arrowverse)
This can be before or after season four—if it’s Zari and John, maybe they could “meet” again. It could also be a total canon divergence at any point.
I’m totally fascinated by John’s issues. He’s been hospitalized before, he snapped completely in the messed-up timeline he made to save Dez, he’s mentally unstable and knows it, but the Legends are way too stubborn to not try to help.
On the other hand, if you want to write another one of the characters going through the scenarios in the freeform tags and John being in the position of trying to…help?…that would be super interesting too.
I also think that any of these characters stuck together would be really fun, and also torture. John getting into a really bad situation and trying to hide exactly how bad it was even as his mental health starts deteriorating from the stress would be fun. Same goes for any of the other characters. I love Charlie and John’s relationship and John and Zari’s relationship and the relationship between all three, and something that takes place in the altered timeline would be great. A canon divergence after that altered timeline where it turns out that John’s still not well would be great too.
Aftermath of Torture, Torture Recovery - John is significantly less lucky in Hell? He’s just captured and tortured, no Hell needed? Zari or Charlie is captured and John saves them? Zari or Charlie and John get captured and tortured together and have bonded painfully after the fact?
Rape Aftermath, Rape Recovery, Rape to Break Character’s Will/Spirit, Rape to Break Character’s Will/Spirit Fails to Do So - Really could be the same as the aftermath of torture/torture recovery prompt.
Character is incapable of caring for themselves
Sanity Slippage, Mental Breakdown, Mentally unstable character aware of their instability, Psychosis, Relapse into severe mental illness - Characters are captured together and start breaking down, or one breaks down more than the other? Character’s captured on their own and breaks down? John’s been better, but stress ends up sending him back to Ravenscar levels of crazy?
Suicide Attempt Fails, Suicide Watch
Recovery is painful and slow
Caretaker Fatigue